Executive Principal’s Welcome
A very warm welcome to St Simon Stock Catholic School. We are part of Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership (KCSP), a successful multi-academy trust of 24 schools, including 19 primary and 5 secondary Catholic academies in Kent.
As part of a multi-academy trust, we are able share our expertise with other academies and benefit from a wealth of excellent practice and expertise other academies have to offer. Academies in KCSP often work together to research the very best teaching methods and approaches to ensure our students receive world class teaching.
Within our Trust, we are part of a regional partnership with St Gregory’s Catholic School in Tunbridge Wells. We work very closely with them to deliver an exceptional education for all our students, sharing resources and benefiting from some joint staffing arrangements.
St Simon Stock is a school alive with Gospel Values allowing students to flourish in their own way, to feel truly valued for who they are and confident in their ability to achieve their full potential and become proactive and outstanding members of our society. Indeed, we truly believe in our motto, “Work with love.”
While it is true that St Simon Stock students achieve fantastic outcomes at both GCSE and A Level, we also believe that they should benefit from a rounded education and so expect them to avail themselves of the wonderful opportunities available to them.
It is in giving that we receive life’s richest rewards. Our Catholic Christian Faith centres around service to others and so we open the students’ eyes to this fact and encourage them to take part in a wide range of activities that allow them to, quite literally, change the world. The Faith in Action Award, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, charitable giving and student leadership opportunities all allow students to learn more about themselves through service to others.
Our expert teachers consistently provide opportunities for students to develop their minds and encourage their curiosity in the classroom. We are passionate that this goes beyond the notion of passing examinations and receiving qualifications and want the students to develop a passion for the subjects they learn. Teachers are experts in their subjects, passionate and knowledgeable about how to get the most out of their students.
It is also important that students should be able to express themselves and be exposed to the very best of what has been thought, said and done. We live in an incredibly culturally rich world and want our students to experience this richness. They can do so by learning a foreign language, learning to play an instrument, acting in a one-act play, debating or putting on a dance showcase. Pursuing interests and hobbies with other like-minded students and expressing their individuality is what gives students the confidence to stride out into the world and make a difference.
A healthy mind requires a healthy lifestyle. St Simon Stock benefits from a very successful sports programme which includes football, rugby, handball, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, rounders, softball, athletics and cricket amongst others. We also encourage students to develop an understanding of the components of a healthy diet, teach them to cook healthy meals and warn them against things that could have detrimental effects on their health and well-being.
Mike Wilson
Executive Principal